Russian Plane Heads to US with Supplies for Virus Fight

A Russian Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan military heavy transport aircraft with medical masks and equipment has departed for the United States amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Russian Defence Ministry said Wednesday.

“A Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft with medical masks and medical equipment on board has left for the United States”, the ministry said. Earlier, a senior US administration official said the United States was expecting Russia to deliver a planeload of personal protection equipment and medical supplies amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The United States has been topping the global COVID-19 tally, with a total of 188,547 citizens infected and at least 3,873 fatalities, according to the live-map by Johns Hopkins University. It also reported that the US has registered a grim record of deaths from the virus in a single day with 865 fatalities.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March declared an outbreak of the new coronavirus infection a pandemic.